Stormwater Updates
Training gives County staff an in-depth look at Low Impact Development methods
WASHINGTON, N.C. – Beaufort County Government and Beaufort County Community College (BCCC) staff learned about stormwater management methods and regulations on Thursday at BCCC, where they also toured several working examples on campus.
The event highlighted Low Impact Development (LID), a design approach that uses natural and engineered techniques to manage stormwater on-site. By slowing, filtering, and absorbing rainfall where it lands, LID reduces flooding, protects water quality, and lessens the environmental impacts of development.
LID methods can:
- Improve water quality by removing pollutants carried in stormwater runoff.
- Reduce the amount of stormwater runoff reaching rivers and streams, protecting the natural aquatic habitat.
- Retain more rainfall on-site, allowing rainwater to infiltrate the ground.
- Lessen flooding and property damage by reducing the volume and speed of stormwater runoff.
After a presentation on the basics of stormwater and LID methods, attendees toured three LID projects on BCCC’s campus, including an NC Environmental Enhancement Grant-funded constructed wetland, as well as a permeable pavement parking lot and a rain garden, both of which were funded through the NC Resilient Coastal Communities Program.
Read more about these Low Impact Development projects
- Beaufort County is a member of the Clean Water Educational Partnership (CWEP). The CWEP is a cooperative effort between local governments and state agencies to protect water quality in the Tar-Pamlico, Neuse, and Cape Fear River Basins. Click here to learn more about the CWEP.
- Beaufort County's Stormwater Hotline can be reached at (252)946-7182. You can call the hotline to report any illicit discharges into creeks and rivers. You can leave a message if filing a report outside of business hours. Examples of illicit discharges are detailed in the Beaufort County Stormwater Local Program document, which is accessible at the top of this page.
